Who is Xavier Edwards?

Who is Xavier Edwards?

December 25th, 2021

The Tampa Bay Rays are stocked with high-upside middle infielders. Wander Franco and Vidal Bruján head that group, but they have a third youngster in Xavier Edwards who may take over at either shortstop or second base and become the Rays' leadoff hitter in the not-too-distant future. Here's what you need to know about Tampa Bay's No. 3 prospect.

FAST FACTS
MLB organization: Rays
Birthdate: Aug. 9, 1999 (Age 21 in 2021)
Primary position: 2B/SS
Height/weight: 5-foot-10, 175 lbs.
Bats/throws: Both/right
Hometown: Mineola, NY
School(s): North Broward Prep, Coconut Creek, FL
Drafted: 38th overall, 2018 (by SD)

He creates action on the basepaths...

Edwards has plenty of tools, but speed is his best trait. He is one of the fastest prospects in the Minor Leagues, with a 70 run grade on the 20-80 scale, according to MLB Pipeline. He was successful on 75 of 98 steal attempts through his first three seasons in the Minors.

... and in the batter's box

Edwards' playing style is a throwback to decades gone by. Instead of an all-or-nothing approach, the switch-hitter uses his keen batting eye and elite contact skills to slap the ball all over the field.

He hit better than .300 at each of the five Minor League levels he competed at from 2018-21. That's highlighted by his .336 average at High-A Fort Wayne in 2019; that mark was the highest among all players in the Midwest League with at least 300 at-bats. Edwards recorded 47 multihit games in 2019. He also swung and missed at a little more than 4% of pitches that year, the ninth-lowest whiff rate in the Minors among players with a minimum of 400 plate appearances.

Edwards knows that his approach is different from that of many players in the Majors, and he views that difference as a point of pride.

"It’s a big chip on my shoulder that not a lot of guys can do what I do," Edwards said on the MLB Pipeline Podcast in 2020. "That’s the way I have to look at it. I know the game might be going in a different direction right now with a lot of home runs and a lot of strikeouts as a byproduct of that. But I feel like either way, just making a lot of contact will lead to a lot of success."

He got hot late in 2021

Edwards put together another nice stat line in 2021 as he joined the Montgomery Biscuits in Double-A. He hit .302 with a .377 on-base percentage in 291 at-bats, placing him second and third respectively in the Double-A South. That was good enough to earn him a spot on the league's All-Star team.

Edwards was at his best down the stretch of the regular season as he put together a .426/.456/.500 slash line in September. Then during a five-game championship series vs. Mississippi, Edwards went 9-for-20 at the plate with six runs scored and connected for his only home run of the year -- a grand slam.

He hosts a free baseball camp for kids annually

Ever since Edwards was drafted in 2018, he has found a way to give back to his community and help provide kids with more access to the game of baseball.

He hosts his own baseball skills camp at his alma mater of North Broward Prep in Florida each December. Participation has increased year over year, and Edwards said prior to the start of his 2021 XE9 Baseball Skills Camp, which was held on Dec. 22-23, that it would be a sellout with about 110 kids in attendance.

Edwards' camp is open to all between the ages of 8-18 and features instruction on hitting, fielding, baserunning and other fundamentals from Major League and Minor League players. Guardians pitcher Triston McKenzie, who also went to high school in South Florida, served as an instructor in 2020.

“The purpose of the camp is just to give back, to give these kids something to take from the camp and also look forward to,” Edwards said. “Their dream is not too big, and it’s definitely not unreachable. So we’re going to instill in them that they can do whatever it is they set their mind to do and also give them some good, professional, collegiate-level instruction.

"I’ve been given a lot, so I think a lot is asked of me. The least I can do in my immediate area is to give back to kids who may be less fortunate or might not have the same instruction I got at such a young age from my dad. It’s literally the least I can do."

Edwards talked more about his camp during an appearance on MLB Network's Hot Stove in December 2020.

He's a Yankees fan

Becoming a star for the Rays means that Edwards will have to beat the team he rooted for throughout his childhood. Although he arrived in pro ball out of South Florida, he grew up on Long Island in New York, about an hour east of the Bronx, and cheered on the Yankees. As an aspiring MLB shortstop, it's no surprise that his favorite player growing up was Derek Jeter.

He played for a loaded Olympic qualifying team

In November 2019, Edwards was a member of Team USA in the Premier12, an Olympic qualifying tournament. And he shared a dugout with some of baseball's brightest young stars. The roster included the Phillies' Alec Bohm; the Rangers' Spencer Howard; the White Sox Andrew Vaughn; the Red Sox's Bobby Dalbec; the Braves' Drew Waters; the Angels' Jo Adell; and the D-backs' Daulton Varsho.

Edwards went 2-for-6 in the tournament with two runs scored. Team USA finished in fourth place in the 10-team event.

He was traded for a former teammate

Team USA's stay in the Premier12 ended on Nov. 16, 2019. Three weeks later, Edwards found himself involved in a trade with a player from that team: Jake Cronenworth. He and Tommy Pham went from the Rays to the Padres in exchange for a trio of players that included Edwards and Hunter Renfroe.

So far, Cronenworth has provided the most value of anyone in the deal. But Edwards will have opportunities to make his own MLB impact before long.